The Ethics of keeping animals as pets
The field of philosophy is vast and tricky to navigate, mostly due to its changing nature. This constant change is mostly due to the fact that a range of theories constantly contradict one another. In his article Resnik (2015) pointed out that if ethics and morals are seen as a universal concept that every individual poses naturally, then there should not be such a large amount of disputes in present society. Studies done indicate that morals are usually learnt in social settings and is developed throughout an individual’s life, yet they are interpreted and applied in different ways by each individual (Resnik, 2015). To explain this theory better Resnik (2015) uses the example of two individuals agreeing …show more content…
Dotson and Hyatt (2008) argue that keeping pets can be a source for mental and physical improvement for a human. The reason that this might be as a result of the fact that humans become more active when they have pets like in the case of dog owners (Dotson, & Hyatt, 2008). Yam et al. (2012) agrees with this viewpoint and continues the argument saying that pets not only provide an opportunity for increased physical activity, like in the case of dog ownership, but also creates an opportunity for social behavior. This social behavior opportunity is best described by Parslow and Jorm (2003) in their study where they argue that keeping a pet allows a human to have a companion that is non-judgmental whilst also having an opportunity for physical contact with another human being which can lead to reduced stress levels. They go on to argue that pets can have a range of physical as well as emotional benefits for their human (Parslow, & Jorm, 2003). Brooks, Rushton, Walker, Lovell and Rogers (2016) did research on the effects of keeping pets by individuals diagnosed with a mental illness and found that there were many benefits for those individuals. Some of these benefits included that the individuals felt they had constant emotional support, had a sense of security, were able to establish a routine that gave them a sense of control and they had their pets to turn to in times of need (Brooks, Rushton, Walker, Lovell, & Rogers,
The field of philosophy is vast and tricky to navigate, mostly due to its changing nature. This constant change is mostly due to the fact that a range of theories constantly contradict one another. In his article Resnik (2015) pointed out that if ethics and morals are seen as a universal concept that every individual poses naturally, then there should not be such a large amount of disputes in present society. Studies done indicate that morals are usually learnt in social settings and is developed throughout an individual’s life, yet they are interpreted and applied in different ways by each individual (Resnik, 2015). To explain this theory better Resnik (2015) uses the example of two individuals agreeing …show more content…
Dotson and Hyatt (2008) argue that keeping pets can be a source for mental and physical improvement for a human. The reason that this might be as a result of the fact that humans become more active when they have pets like in the case of dog owners (Dotson, & Hyatt, 2008). Yam et al. (2012) agrees with this viewpoint and continues the argument saying that pets not only provide an opportunity for increased physical activity, like in the case of dog ownership, but also creates an opportunity for social behavior. This social behavior opportunity is best described by Parslow and Jorm (2003) in their study where they argue that keeping a pet allows a human to have a companion that is non-judgmental whilst also having an opportunity for physical contact with another human being which can lead to reduced stress levels. They go on to argue that pets can have a range of physical as well as emotional benefits for their human (Parslow, & Jorm, 2003). Brooks, Rushton, Walker, Lovell and Rogers (2016) did research on the effects of keeping pets by individuals diagnosed with a mental illness and found that there were many benefits for those individuals. Some of these benefits included that the individuals felt they had constant emotional support, had a sense of security, were able to establish a routine that gave them a sense of control and they had their pets to turn to in times of need (Brooks, Rushton, Walker, Lovell, & Rogers,